Cannabidiol, a non-psychoactive component of cannabis and its synthetic dimethylheptyl homolog suppress nausea in an experimental model with rats

Rats display conditioned rejection reactions during an oral infusion of a flavor previously paired with an emetic drug; considerable evidence indicates that these rejection reactions reflect nausea. Here we report that cannabidiol, a major non-psychoactive cannabinoid found in marijuana and its synthetic dimethylheptyl homolog interfere with nausea elicited by lithium chloride and with conditioned nausea elicited by a flavor paired with lithium chloride. These results suggest that cannabinoids without psychoactive side-effects may have therapeutic value in the treatment of chemotherapy-induced nausea. NeuroReport 13:567-570 (C) 2002 Lippincott Williams Wilkins.